February is Women in Horror Month. This designation was given to the shortest month of the year by New York-based Hannah Forman, creator of the feminist horror zine Ax Wound: Gender and The Horror Genre and sometimes contributor to Broken Pencil. In the zine philosophy she wrote for us in 2007’s horror issue, Forman explained that zines such as hers (and recognition months such as the one she initiated in 2010) are needed to show how the seemingly opposing factions of feminism and horror films can intersect.
The response to Women in Horror Month (WiHM) has been big. This month alone has seen events, podcasts and articles the world over inspired by and in support of this movement.
As February draws to a close, and with it the fourth edition of Women in Horror Month, we asked the busy Hannah Forman to tell us how WiHM evolved after her first call to action and why it’s so necessary.
Broken Pencil: There are a lot of genres and media that could use a push to recognize the female contributors. Why do you feel horror needs it specifically?
Hannah Forman: Women need recognition is all facets of the entertainment industries and business world. The best way to answer this is by looking at the most well-known saying about creating change: start in your own communities. When one community creates change it impacts another community. Our hope is that by showcasing and helping to fascilitate the expansion of women being viewed as more than bloody boobs in the horror genre, we will see an impact in other genre/art communities. It all comes down to believing you have the power to make a difference and supporting those missions that aim to create social change. And honestly, with the amount of technology at our fingertips now is the time. Instead of Big Brother watching us we have the abilities to watch Big Brother and fight back.
BP: How has the reception to this month changed or evolved over the years?
HF: Each year has a very distinct personality. For lack of a better word I think 2013 is less manic and more even-keeled. And I don’t mean “manic” in a bad way — the past years have been incredible! This movement began after I put out a call to action and didn’t have a real sense of what the impact would be. So, it’s not like I sat down with a business plan before unleashing the idea. The whole thing was more visceral — more a release of anger and activism and hope that women really could come together despite our socially constructed competitive bullshit.
Since WiHM was done on a whim there was an ongoing learning process in how to define what it’s all about and really a big push to try and overshadow the misconceptions. We have a very clear mission statement now that is not a rant-y blog post and I am beyond honored to have had the support and help of The Viscera Organization who took WiHM under it’s wing last year. I would say 2013 is the first year with a truly streamlined plan and group of volunteer staff working their collective ass off around the clock to make this month professional, entertaining, and hell bent on change.
That would be another major shift. The first couple years I was the only one behind the scenes, and many things fell through the cracks. Relationships were strained and bridges were not always as stable as they once were with people in my community because the international scope of the celebration was too much for just one person to coordinate behind the scenes. Learning how to ask for help was a huge shift. Allowing others to jump in was a big deal, a scary concept, and something I will be forever fucking grateful to have opened myself up to accepting.
The most important thing to me and to the organization and supporters is that we maintain true to our vision of creating spaces for women in all facets of the eclectic horror universe — which is filmmakers, writers, artists, fans, etc. Of course, we aren’t expecting everyone to like what we are doing, but we want to make sure that we do our best to showcase our continual growth and always, always, always strive to be better. So, we welcome feedback. It’s a great way to confront myths about WiHM head on and/or hear opinions [and] ideas that we may have overlooked. We welcome any and all feedback that is presented in a professional manner. I can tell you, we have no shortage of hate speech thrown our way, but each year I have gotten better at tuning it out. As with any movement — if you are trying to make a significant shift in peoples schemas you need to be willing to expect backlash and resistance. I see it as a sign we are headed in the right direction. How is that for optimism!
I have also observed that each year we reach a new part of the world. This year there was a week long art celebration in Serbia!
BP: The next issue of your zine comes out at the end of this month. What can we expect?
HF: The zine has been in progress for a few years. I had a personal crisis after the last issue came out — it corresponded with the death of my dad and I needed to really step away from that project and collect myself. Now I have come back swinging and ready to share the Sex/Horror theme issue. The cover art was done by an incredible artist in Vancouver named Alison Lily. The issue has articles about the the intersection of horror and pornography, one piece looks at acts of female necrophilia in various horror films, there are interviews with women in the horror industry like Tristan Risk, Karen Lam and so many more. I’ve got an advice column in this issue now called “Tell The Twisted Twins” with Jen and Sylvia Soska [ed. more Canadians!], and an exclusive interview with their parents Agnes and Marius. That is only the surface! I am very excited to share this long awaited issue. In the next day or so I will be sharing the table of contents as a preview on our website.
BP: What are your top 5 favourite indie horror films featuring women?
HF: Ginger Snaps, American Mary, American Psycho…. Honestly, I don’t do well with favourites. I always seem to forget every film I have ever seen when asked to pick a favorite! It’s like my brain clenches shut. For those who want to discover some amazing women working in horror visit the Women in Horror Month website, Ax Wound, and Viscera Organization for a great jumping off point!